5 Days: Venice and the Veneto
Five days takes the 4-day rail loop through Padua, Verona, Vicenza and Lake Garda and adds the biggest single day in this whole itinerary: a bus run to the Dolomites. This is also where the trip switches hubs, day 5 leaves from Piazzale Roma, not the train station. Only have a couple of days? See the 2 or 3 day version. Want the Prosecco road and Ravenna too? Keep going to 6 or 7 days.
Book these before you go:
- Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel: book a timed slot at cappelladegliscrovegni.it days ahead, there is no same-day daytime ticket.
- The Dolomites bus from Piazzale Roma: only a handful of ATVO or Cortina Express departures run daily, book your seat before you fix the rest of day 5 around it. A guided Dolomites day tour is the easier alternative if the public bus schedule does not fit.
- Vicenza’s Villa Rotonda opens on limited public days, commonly Friday through Sunday, April through October.
- Verona’s Arena, if traveling June 12 through September 12, 2026, the Opera Festival sells out its best nights weeks ahead.
| Day | Focus | Distance/Train Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Padua, Scrovegni Chapel | 25 to 30 min, EUR 4 to 9 |
| 2 | Verona, the Arena | 54 min, EUR 9 to 12 |
| 3 | Vicenza, Palladio | 45 to 50 min, EUR 5 to 8 |
| 4 | Lake Garda, Sirmione | 1h15 to 1h30, change at Verona |
| 5 | Dolomites, Cortina | 2h45 to 3h10+ by bus from Piazzale Roma |
Day 1: Padua and Giotto’s Frescoes
A short regionale ride, 25 to 30 minutes, roughly EUR 4 to 9, gets you to your timed Scrovegni Chapel slot: 15 to 20 minutes with Giotto’s 1305 fresco cycle after a mandatory anteroom wait. Full price is about EUR 15 plus a EUR 1 presale fee. Round out the day at Piazza dei Signori and the Prato della Valle.
Day 2: Verona and the Arena
Roughly 54 minutes out, EUR 9 to 12. The Arena, a first-century Roman amphitheater still seating around 15,000 for opera every summer, is the reason to come; daytime entry runs roughly EUR 10 to 12. Wander Piazza delle Erbe and skip “Juliet’s House” if time is tight, the balcony is a 20th-century tourist add-on, not an authentic site.
Day 3: Vicenza and Palladio’s City
Just 45 to 50 minutes, EUR 5 to 8. The Teatro Olimpico runs on a normal schedule; Villa Rotonda does not, public days are limited to Friday through Sunday, April through October, so check before you plan the afternoon around it. The City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto listing has the wider network.
Day 4: Lake Garda and Sirmione
Change at Verona for Peschiera or Desenzano, roughly 1h15 to 1h30 total, fares in a similar band to the Verona leg plus a short extra hop. Local transport reaches Sirmione’s peninsula in under 30 minutes. Our Lake Garda page has the detail if the lake earns a return visit.
Day 5: The Dolomites and Cortina d’Ampezzo
No direct train reaches Cortina, so this day starts at Piazzale Roma instead of the station. The ATVO or Cortina Express bus runs roughly 2h45 to over 3h10, depending on stops, with a handful of departures daily. It is a long haul for one day, jagged Dolomite peaks and alpine air are the payoff, and an overnight in Cortina turns a rushed day into an actual mountain trip if your schedule allows it. Check Cortina hotel rates before you decide, since the drive-time savings the next morning often justify the extra night. Our Dolomites page covers Cortina in more depth.
Pack a real jacket for day 5 regardless of the season in Venice, the temperature swing between the lagoon and 1,200-plus meters of Dolomite elevation catches people off guard every year.